Shoulder-brace



(-No M06161.)

1%. V. SHOOKEY,

SHOULDER BRAOE.

' N0. 396,837. Patented Jan. .29, 1889.

N, PETERS. PholoLilhogl-uphm. Washinglon. D4 6 UNITE ATE rricn.

ROBERT vlN' ON SHOCKEY, OF HASTINGS, NEBRASKA.

SHOULDER BRACE.

SPECIFICATION formingpartof Letters Patent No. 396,837, dated. January 29, 1889. Application filed September 24, 1888 $erial No. 286,201. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ROBERT VINTON SHocKEY, acitizen of the United States, re-

siding at Hastings, in the county of Adams and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoulderhaces; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to combined shoulderdiraces and suspenders; and it consists in the construction and novel combination of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, liigure 1 is a front view of a combined slioulder-ln-ace and suspenders or the like. This poeketA is made elongated in form, and is .u'lapted to and does receive a metal or other fiat stay, B. I prefer to use a fiat steel spring for this purpose. The in cased stay forms the back-sopporting piece of the combined brace and suspenders. At its upper'end the pocket A is provided with a pad, 0, of any suitable material, which is designed to bear against the person of the wearer between the shoulders and directly against the spinal column. site corners of the pad (I are provided with buckle-frames D E, which are connected to the pad C by loops F F, fornu-afl of narrow webbing.

H I are shoiilder-straps, fornnul of narrow webbing, passed loosely through the larger lower slots or openings of the bucklei'rames D E, one end of each of the straps 1-1 I being provided with a sliding lnickleframe, K, havl ing opposite]y-projecting side loops, L, provided with textile finger-pi ces M Formanipulating said sliding bucklealran1e. At their lower ends each of the straps ll. I are provided with ring-loops N, and immediately The upper oppoabove said ring-loops N the upper edges of the pads P are secured by stitching or other wise.

To the lower edges or ends of the padPthe upper ends of the lower portions of the sus penderstraps Q are stitched or otherwise secured. The lower ends of the straps Q are provided with metal slides R, having loops S and snap-springs T to receive and hold the ring U, to which the suspender-ends V V are se cured.

To opposite sides of the elongated pocket A, nearly intermediate of its ends, are secured the elastic or spring buckles X, which are reenforced on their inner faces by straps Y, of elastic webbing, secured to the end frames of said buckles, as shown in Fig. 2.

The buckles X are connected with the metal slides R by strips of webbing, which are preferably inelastic.

A spring-lmckle, X, similar to the buckles X, is secured at its upper end to a tongue, Z), of leather or the like, stitched to the rear or outside face of the pocket A, preferably just below the point where the laterally-project ing buckles X are secured to the pocket A. The spring-buckle X is also re-enforced by an elastic strip of webbing, the object being to prevent the entire strain from coming on. the buckle proper. This spring-buckle 00 is the rear buckle of the sl'ispenders, and is provided with suspender-ends b l), which are secured thereto in any desired manner.

The cushions or pads of the suspenders are designed to rest upon or against the collarbone or clavicle of the wearer, in order to render the device more comfortable to the wearer. The rear pad also assists in obtaining this result.

The manner of wearing the combined shoulder-brace and so spenders will be obvious to any person who may need to use them.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and' dcsi re to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with the elongated pocket incasing the spring-stay and forming the common back. piece, of the pad at the upper end of the same provided with buckleframes connected thereto by loops, the sus penders engaging said loops and provided with eollar-pads and Suspender-owls, the laterally-extending sprii'ig-buekles, and the inelastic webbing, and clampin -slides for connecting the spring-lniekles and suspenders, substantially as described.

2. In eon'rbination with the central. el on gaied pocket provided with the spring-stay, the centrally detachable shoulder-straps, and the Suspender-ends, the spring-buckles re-enforced with elastic webbing, and the buttonhole straps, substantially as described.

3. The combined shoulder-braces and suspenders, composed of the elongated pocket incasi'ng the sprii'ig-stay and forming the common back piece, A, the shoulder-straps composed of the separate sections, each adjustably connected to the back piece and adapted, by means of the ring-loop and clamping-slide on their respective ends, to be instantly connected or disconnected, the collar-pads P, h aving their upper ends secured To the uppersection slightly above the ring-loops, and their lower ends to the Suspender-ends Q, whereby they form a cushion beneath the connecting ends of the shoulder-straps, and the buttonhole straps attached to the suspender-ends by buckles, all arranged and combined substantiall y as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination, with the central elongated pocket provided with the spring-stay, the shoulder-straps secured thereto, made in two detachable sections, and the collar-pad, of the s n'ing-buekles re-enforeed with elastic webbing, the suspender-ends, and the buttonhole straps, substantially as described.

I In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT VINTON SHOCKEY.

\Vitnesses:

C. E. HIGINBOTHAM, H. HIGINBOTHAM. 

